Portable typewriter attachment



Jan. 5, 1932. D. M. MAY 1,840,242

PORTABLE TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT Filed oct 4, 1929 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 5, 1932 PATENT OFFICE DONALD M. MAY, or RockY roIN'r, NEW YORK PORTABLE TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT Application filed October 4', 1929.

My invention relates to typewriter attachments' and it consists in the constructions, arrangements, and combinations herein described and claimed.

It is an object of my invention to provide an attachment for typewriters and other machines, whereby the carriages, (or moving part) can be returned to commence a new line and also rotate the platen for proper spacing of the lines without the necessity for an operator to move his hands from position on the key-board. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide an attachment for shifting the car- 7 riage of a typewriter by manipulation of a foot treadle.

It is a further object of my invention toprovide an attachment for shifting the carriage of a'typewriter which is portable and easily attached and detached to the typewriter or other machine which it is designed to operate.

It is a still further object to provide a carriage shift device which is readily applicable to any of the well known makes of typewriters without material alterations or readjustment of the parts.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a typewriter equipped with my invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 1,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pulley and its mounting,

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the operating cable and its attaching fixture, and

Figure 6 is a detail view of a modified por-- pon the typewriter 1, oppo- Serial No. 397,241.

be secured to the frame of the typewriter, as by screws or otherwise. The plate 3 has a bayonet slot 4 adapted to receive the winged portions 5 of a coupling 6. By this construction, it will be readily apparent that the coupling6 may be quickly attached or detached from the plate 3 by giving the coupling 6 a partial turning movement.

The coupling 6 is hollow, and upon the end opposite the winged portions 5 a flexible and non-compressible tubing 7 is secured, through which there is extended a cable 8, one end of which is suitably secured to the lever 2.

A foot treadle 9 is provided and is mounted upon a base 10 having an upright yoke 11 to which one end of the tubing 7 is secured as at 12.

.{The treadle 9 is pivotally mounted upon the base 10, as at 13, and a helical spring 14 is positioned between the base 10 and treadle 9 to hold the treadle in its uppermost or operative position.

U on the forward portion'of the treadle 9, a su stantially U-shaped frame 15 is secured, within which a pulley 16 is swingably or otherwise mounted. p

Reference is now made to Figures 3 and 4, wherein it is clearly shown that the pulley 16 isrotatably supported within a housing 17. The housing 17 has trunnions 18 at opposite sides, journalled within the U-shaped frame 15.

-Attention is now directed to FiguresQ and 3, wherein it will be seen that the pulley 16 is directly in line with the yoke 11 and there fore properly positioned to receive the cable 8. The cable 8 is entrained about the pulley 16, through an eyelet 19 and the terminal thereof finally secured upon the cleat 20 carried by the yoke 11. By providing the pul ley 16 in the swingable housing 17,'the cable 8 is properly retained within the pulley at all times regardless of the various positions which the treadle may assume when depressed by an operator.

Also, it should be noted that the tension of the cable 8 may be readily varied, by releasing the cable 8 at the cleat 20, to lengthenor shorten the cable, asthe case may be. Or-

dinarily, one depression'of the treadle 9 will preferred form.

rocked by the foot of an operator.

be sufficient to return the carriage 21 to its normal starting position.

My operating treadle and attached pulley may comprise various forms, one modification of which is shown in Figure 6, at 9*. This treadle is equipped with a comfortable and efficient heel rest 9 V In place of the U-, shaped member 15, as used in the preferred form of my device, I fasten to the treadle 9 the angle brackets 15 by screws or other suitable means. These angle brackets provide bearings for the roller used in this form of the device shown at 16 It is readily apparent that this form of my device may be usedin place of its equivalent member in the In operation, an operator having manipulated the typewriter so that the carriage 21 is at the extreme left, and it is desired to rotate the platen and return the carriage'to its initial starting point, the treadle 9 is Such rocking movement of the treadle will pull downwardly upon the cable 8 which in turn pulls upon the lever 2. Movement of the lever 2 will rotate the platen and at the same time-will draw the carriage 21 to the right, and into position to receive the next line of typing.

'It'is also apparent that the foot engaging portion of my device may be moved freely to any position desired by the operator, the flexible but not compressible tubing 7 which 1 may consist of metal coiled tubing or other suitably formed tubing permitting this op-- eration, while also due to its non-compressibility allowing free operation of the tension cord within. This tubing encasing the tension cord prevents any obstruction or entanglement of said tension cord due to engagement with portions of the typewriter or other objects in its vicinity. It is also easily seen that it can be readily trans orted,

' by simply detaching the flexible tu ing 7 from the plate 3, to any other place and for use on any other machine, as desired.

From the foregoing,it will be seen that I have provided a carriage return mechanism which is operable entirelyby the foot of an operator, which'will be liable in a minimum degree to derangement, and which is a portable attachment.

I c c I 1.; In a device of the character described,

a base, afoot treadle rockably mounted thereon, a rotatably mounted pulley, thereon, an upright yoke carried by said base and disposed over'said pulley, and a cable slidable through said yoke and about said pulley.-

mounted foot treadle on said base, a rotatably mounted pulley carried by the free endof said treadle and disposed beneath said yoke,

and a pull cord slidable through said yoke and around said pulley.

3. In a device of the character described, a base, an upright yoke thereon, a rockably mounted foot treadle on said base, a rotatably mountedpulley carried by the free end of said treadle and disposed beneath said yoke, a pull cord slidable through said yoke and around said pulley, and means for varying the length of said pull cord. 4:. Ade-vice for operating carriages of typewriters and other machines and simultaneously line spacing, a lever carriedby the carriage of the typewriter, a foot treadle, a yoke positioned above said foot treadle, a cable connected between said lever and said foot treadle through said yoke, a tubing connected to said yoke and detachably connected to a portion of the typewriter opposite said lever and encasing said cable, whereby upon movement of said foot treadle said carriage 

